Columns

Despite not getting the results they were hoping for, the hundreds of supporters of keeping the Kroger store in Galax have shown a tremendous amount of organization and effort in the past several weeks.
When it was first announced that the store would close March 21, these folks didn’t take the news lightly. Instead, everyone got together and did whatever they could think of to convince the corporation to change its mind.

Carroll supervisors have a plan to help property owners turn their hard-to-reach or inaccessible land into cash.
These ideas, called “Class C subdivisions” and “flag lots” that have entry through driveways known as “flag poles” are proposed modifications to the county’s subdivision ordinance.
Class C subdivisions as proposed would be limited to five lots off a narrow, dead-end road.

It’s easier and more convenient for dog owners to just open the door and let their pet outside for a bathroom break or a run around the neighborhood. After all, what harm could five minutes do?
This is a thought that these owners eventually regret when they hear that sickening squeal of tires on the blacktop near their house.
Or, when they open the door to call them back, just to find an empty yard.
Or, when their local animal control officer notifies them that their dog has killed the neighbor’s poodle.

Last week, Grayson County supervisors put a temporary stop to the controversial zoning repeal that has split the county into two sides over the past month.
The supervisors, the newspaper and social media have heard arguments from all sides during this divisive debate.
Some believe that zoning restricts their personal freedom to do what they want with their property. Others like zoning for that exact reason, because they don’t want to wind up with a brewery or a Hooters erected next to their church or family farm.

These “zoning talking points” were submitted to The Gazette by Concerned Citizens for Grayson County and signed by the Rev. Laura M. George, J.D., and members of the group. The Grayson Board of Supervisors is considering a repeal of the county’s zoning ordinance.

Zoning and Taxes
Zoning reduces taxes by locating industrial businesses in specific areas and building infrastructure just once (such as commercial roads, power, water, waste disposal).

The Grayson supervisors’ debate about a proposed repeal of the county’s zoning ordinance has revealed an internal conflict on that board that mirrors the divided nature of citizens’ opinions on the issue.
Though the anti-zoning faction on the board has claimed — with only anecdotal evidence — that their mission follows the will of a majority of citizens, the more vocal group has been the one defending zoning. More of them have been speaking at meetings, writing letters to the newspaper and voting in a Gazette online poll.